This invention relates to catheter assemblies and inner cannulae for such assemblies.
The invention is more particularly concerned with catheter assemblies having a catheter and a removable inner cannula.
Some catheter assemblies, such as tracheostomy tubes, have an inner cannula, which is removable from the catheter. By removing and replacing the inner cannula, the secretions that build up within the catheter can be removed without the need to replace the catheter itself. This can reduce the risk of infection and, by avoiding the need to remove the catheter, it can reduce the discomfort, disturbance and trauma caused to the patient.
Although an inner cannula can have advantages, it can reduce the flow through the catheter because the fluid must flow through the inner cannula, which has a smaller internal diameter than that of the catheter itself. Thus, it is desirable that the wall of the inner cannula be as thin as possible and that it be a close fit within the catheter. Where the tracheostomy tube is of a radial shape, that is, it is curved along its entire length, the inner cannula can be similarly shaped so it does not need to bend during insertion, thereby enabling it to be relatively rigid. It is preferable, however, in some cases to use a tracheostomy tube with an anatomical design, in which opposite ends of the tube are relatively straight and linked by a curved section midway. With such a tube, the inner cannula must be able to flex as it is inserted and removed. In an attempt to make the inner cannula as thin as possible and to enable it to flex, the cannula may tend to buckle during insertion and may cause a restriction in flow. To prevent buckling, a circumferentially-corrugated cannula may be used but the corrugations of this can impede gas flow along the catheter appreciably as a result of the reduction in internal diameter and turbulence.